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PRESS RELEASE on Tentative Agreement
In 2023, after months of bargaining and delivering a 10-day notice of intent to strike in October 2023, nursing home union members from SEIU Local 2015 ratified contract agreements with the healthcare giant chain Rockport Brius. Here’s what they WON:
- Annual wage increases across the board between 3-12%.
- Standardized healthcare coverage across the facilities—at some facilities, workers were paying half of their coverage. At all facilities, the employer pays 75%, with seniority improvements: after 6 years, the employer will pay 80% and after 11 years, 85%
- The employer agrees to come back to the table in 2 years to discuss establishing an education and training fund for staff development.
- Workers also won guarantees that they’ll receive a portion of any Medicare quality incentive money the facilities earn, guaranteed wage step increases based on seniority, no reduction in wages if asked to fill in for a lower-paying position, a renewed commitment to a stronger labor-management committee process, and more.
These were the demands workers encouraged management to address:
- The understaffing crisis plaguing nursing home facilities.
- Health and safety violations issues from the state.
- Worker burnout.
- The warehousing of people with serious psychiatric illnesses that employees aren’t trained to care for and resulting incidents of workplace violence.
The full list of participating nursing homes is listed below:
- Norwalk Skilled Nursing and Wellness Centre
- Bay Vista Healthcare Center
- Highland Park Skilled Nursing and Wellness Centre
- Maywood Healthcare and Wellness Centre
- Los Feliz Healthcare and Wellness Centre
- Centinela Skilled Nursing Centre East
- Centinela Skilled Nursing Centre West
- Park Avenue Healthcare and Wellness Centre
- Vernon Healthcare Center
- Gardenview Healthcare and Wellness Centre
- Centinela Assisted Living Centre
- Overland Terrace Healthcare and Wellness Centre
- Montrose Springs Skilled Nursing and Healthcare
- East Terrace Rehabilitation and Wellness Centre
- Grand Avenue Healthcare and Wellness Centre
Nursing home dietary aide Keffer Issac
“We were bargaining for almost a year. It was, by no means, an easy process. There was a lot of struggle involved in getting things to line up in a way that’ll benefit all of the workers, but I think it is all worth it, now that the contracts have been ratified.”
“I once had to take care of 110 patients in one night. That’s how understaffed we are.”
“I’m trying my hardest to help unpredictable patients with serious psychiatric illness who can get violent at any time.”
Nursing home CNA Maria Alejandra
“I treat my residents like they’re family, but it’s hard to give quality care when we are so badly understaffed.”
In July 2023, the Brius campaign picketed against a total of nine facilities. Workers came by the dozens to make their voices heard as Brius management tried to silence them.
Click below to watch coverage of our Brius Actions Kickoff:
On October 12th, 2023, SEIU Local 2015 hosted a press conference with ally support from Assemblymember Miguel Santiago and the Chair of Los Angeles County Democratic Party, Mark Gonzalez. Click to view photos from press conference
Click below to watch KTLA 5 coverage of the press coverage